3.1.05

:: the potential of technology in the political environment.

The following is an excerpt from a speech delivered by Howard Dean, at George Washington University, on December 8th 2004. To date, I believe this is the best articulation of what the Democratic Party needs to do in order to be competitive on both the national and local scale.
The destination of the Democratic Party requires that it be financially viable, able to raise money not only from big donors but small contributors, not only through dinners and telephone solicitations and direct mail, but also through the Internet and person-to-person outreach.

The destination of the Democratic Party means making it a party that can communicate with its supporters and with all Americans. Politics is at its best when we create and inspire a sense of community. The tools that were pioneered in my campaign -- like blogs, and meetups, and streaming video -- are just a start. We must use all of the power and potential of technology as part of an aggressive outreach to meet and include voters, to work with the state parties, and to influence media coverage.

The most practical destination is winning elective office. And we must do that at every level of government. The way we will rebuild the Democratic Party is not from consultants down, but from the ground up.
:: I encourage all of you to read the full speech at: Democracy for America

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